Lake of the Ozarks: nestled in the rolling hills of Central Missouri, more than a dozen friendly communities offer summer fun on the water

Travel America, March-April, 2003 by Randy Mink, Karen Mink

THE ASCENT WAS SO STEEP that we thought our car would flip over backwards as we drove up the blacktopped incline connecting Putt-N-Stuff miniature golf to the main highway. That eerie sensation occurred several times during the next few days, once on a gravel road that serviced a remote shoreside restaurant. Our feet also got some uphill workouts--especially at a waterfront resort that spilled down a rugged peninsula.

Vertical drops and craggy landscapes, atypical of the Midwest, remind visitors they're in the foothills--yes, just the foothills--of the Ozarks, the largest mountain range between the Great Smokies and Rockies. The Lake of the Ozarks, a manmade phenomenon in the middle of Missouri, lies north of the Ozarks proper, which cover 50,000 square miles in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas, plus parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Illinois. Booming Branson, 125 miles away, is Missouri's star Ozarks attraction and, with its glitzy music shows, tends to overshadow the Lake of the Ozarks, a great destination in its own right.

One of mid-America's premier vacation playgrounds, the serpentine body of water was the world's largest manmade lake when it was created in 1931 upon completion of Bagnell Dam, a project of Union Electric Company. Because the lake is privately developed, not controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers, it's the only major public lake in Missouri that allows shoreline development of resorts, docks, and restaurants.

The Lake of the Ozarks is not a lake that can easily be circled. Full of coves bordered by rocky bluffs and forests of oak and juniper, it boasts some 1,150 miles of shoreline, more than the entire state of California. From the air, the sprawling lake, with its twisting arms and fingers, resembles a dragon. Fed by the Osage, Glaize, and Niangua rivers, it covers 54,000 acres and runs 92 miles end to end (from Bagnell Dam to Truman Dam). More than a dozen towns are scattered throughout a wide area; visitors spend much of their time around Osage Beach, Lake Ozark, and Camdenton.

Vacation home communities abound, and real estate is big business in the Lake of the Ozarks. Pictures of top-selling agents beam down from billboards, and home-buying literature crops up everywhere. Second-home owners, a good percentage of the population, help account for the quality and quantity of restaurants and other services.

For many vacationers, the Lake of the Ozarks means fishing and boating. Shoppers and sightseers also keep busy, and golfers can choose from 15 courses.

We stayed in the Osage Beach area. Our cottage at Tan-Tar-A, a resort and residential community, was just a few miles from fast-paced Highway 54. Here on this main drag you'll find go-kart tracks, fast-food chains, mom-and-pop eateries, and souvenir emporiums.

Serious shoppers flock to the Factory Outlet Village Osage Beach, a 13-building complex on Highway 54. Among the 110 brand-name outlets are Polo/Ralph Lauren, Van Heusen, The Gap, Oshkosh B'Gosh, and Samsonite.

For nostalgia, visit the Victorian-themed Main Street Shopping Village, also on Highway 54. Complete with wooden sidewalks, a waterwheel, and wishing well, it offers several charming bistros in addition to one-of-a-kind craft and gift shops.

The complex is the home of the Main Street Opry. Nightly shows feature the Gumm family and a supporting cast belting out country, gospel, and patriotic favorites, plus pop tunes from the '40s, '50s, and '60s. Sight gags and cornball humor reflect local folkways. Audience members mingle with the performers and get autographs at intermission. Other down-home music shows staged are Lee Mace's Ozark Opry and Country Lights USA.

Our favorite shopping-amusement area was the "Strip" along Bagnell Dam Boulevard, a mile of storefronts that have attracted generations of tourists to the town of Lake Ozark. The Dogpatch Store, a magnet for souvenir-hunters since 1947, has everything from live hermit crabs to Coke and Route 66 memorabilia. Grandma's Candy Kitchen offers 20 flavors of fudge and 40 flavors of saltwater taffy.

In what remains of the once-thriving town of Bagnell, we made our best restaurant discovery. Camp Bagnell Fish & Steakhouse, a refreshing change from slick places along Highway 54, serves pleasing platters of hickory-smoked ribs and brisket, steaks, frog legs, and catfish in a rustic atmosphere bursting with local flavor. It's adjacent to a campground.

In the late 1800s Bagnell was the "Railroad Tie Capital of the World," with the tie yards located at the present-day campground. Ties floated down the Osage River or brought by wagon were loaded onto railcars.

Another dining spot that's worth the trip is Captain's Galley, an outpost of the Caribbean. At the base of a steep cliff, this festive lakeside eatery consists of a floating deck, shoreside patio, and bright turquoise building with salmon, purple, and chartreuse accents. Try the Jamaican jerk chicken or pork chops, fajitas, chicken salad with mango strips, or coconut shrimp.